I have a customer whose parent company is engaged with a firm to implement a pricing system. I have been brought in to determine the scope, cost, & involvement of this business unit. Any thoughts on what approach I should take, I need to come up with a document for managment with scope & cost associated with it. Saving Changes...
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Andrew MakarProgram Manager| AMAKAR LLCOakland Township, Mi, United States
You may find this article on Mind Mapping Project Scope useful. I often use mind maps to define the high level work break down structure. I can then estimate costs at the appropriate level.
Thanks! This is a regional initiative so all of this has been done at corporate level, I now need to put together a "Scope Statement" to describe project at a very high level before I even get started with WBS and other documents. Now, would you say I need a "Scope Statement", "Project Charter", "Vision"? I am putting together a document based on analysis to project cost & get budget approved.
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Andrew MakarProgram Manager| AMAKAR LLCOakland Township, Mi, United States
If you're just starting the project and you need funding, commitment, or additional resources, then a 1-2 page project charter should be sufficient to communicate the key details.
In Agile project management, they often refer to this as the Vision statement. Depending on the organization's requirements, there may be formal documentation required to initiate the project.
So start with a high level charter and refine it with a scope statement and a WBS. You may want to start with a draft WBS just to confirm the major chunks of work. I usually do this with a mind map when I'm discussing the scope internally with my stakeholders.
When it is time for a formal presentation, I adopt whatever template is required by the organization. If you don't have a template, I'd recommend a 1-2 page charter executive summary and prepare a supporting Powerpoint document.
The key is to get the project approved so you can develop a detailed WBS and scope statement. If you don't get the approval, you won't need the other stuff :-)
So, would you include Business Requirements, Vision, and scope? or what would this look like in your opinion?
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Andrew MakarProgram Manager| AMAKAR LLCOakland Township, Mi, United States
At a minimum, the presentation should include WHAT, WHY, HOW, WHEN and Assumptions
1. A brief statement of goals and objectives (WHAT)
- Problem Definition and high level goals/objectives to resolve the problem
2. Business Need Statement (WHY)
- What is the business justification and how does it align to the overall business strategy? Remember projects don't exist because an IT person picked them...there should be a business need for the project.
3. Resource Needs and high level time line (HOW & WHEN)
At this stage, you won't have a valid timeline, but you should be able to forecast a date when you will have a committed timeline. List the resources and amount of funding needed to reach that timeilne.
4. Initial Risks and Issues (Assumptions)
- After answering the key questions, it helps to add a few disclaimers. At this stage, there is a lot of assumptions...so list the potential risks or issues.
This is just a summary of some of the key elements you'll find in a project charter. Your stakeholders want to know what you're doing, why you're doing it, how much it is going to cost, and when you're going to deliver the current phase.
PE B:
Andy has provided you some great tips on how to get started.
I would definitely start with a project charter and a mindmap of the project. Actually, creating a WBS will help you sell the project, along with the project charter. Once the sponsor and stakeholders get past cost, they'll want to know the resources you'll need to launch the project , how soon you can get started and how long it will take.
Linda Vanderwold, offer an excellent set of "free" templates for a PM to use to use and once you're done, recreate it in powerpoint (or not) and share it with your team, sponsor or stakeholders. You can provide instant feedback and may get some great feedback on using a creative simple idea.
Looks like you are a cog in this machine. I would start by reviewing the documentation already available at the corporate level and meet with the stakeholders to ensure that you have a common undertanding of what they are expecting. Make sure you are not stepping on someone else's toes and your boundaries are clearly defined. No point in doing a whole load of work if someone else has already done it, or is doing it. For example with any new system training is needed, is this a local or corporate responsibility?
The attached diagram is an old one but a goodie.
When you know what your boundaries are in the overall project it will be easier to define the scope. At the project definition stage business requirements are really high level and should cover the main areas of work, eg Documentation for the new system, Testing, Training, implementation etc. Do not get too bogged down in the detail this will come once the analysis phase of the project has been completed.
.... and don't get confused about the Project Management life cycle and the system development life cycle (SDLC) they are two different things and most of the SDLC will happen in the execution or delivery phase of the project management life cylce. Saving Changes...
To get your scope correct, interview all your management people regarding the implementation on new pricing system. Based on the information you have, create a formal scope document.
As a Project Manager, you can estimate how many resources are required to completed the project and the estimate. You can assign some cost to each of those resources for a specific time duration to arrive at your cost for the project.
